How Would you Arrange This Trip?
 

I am planning for a three week trip in September 2009 for hub and I , and another couple. Mid 50's, lovers of food, wine, people, sights, ruins, coastal areas. These are the four areas I would like to visit:
* Venice 2-3 nights
* Rome 4 nights
* Amalfi Coast ? nights
* and an agritourismo that a lady I met in Italian class owns in Citta di Castello (relaxation in the countryside)

I'm thinking open jaw into Venice and out of Rome. Would you go Venice, Rome, Amalfi, then the San Guistino area or would you finish in Amalfi before flying out of Rome? Unsure on the best way to proceed here and I'd appreciate any advice on the sequence of places. I have printed out a veritable fountain of information from this great site but must now take a week off work to read and organize it all! Love you fodorites.

Start in Venice since flights in have better arrival times than do departing flights (most are very early).

Finish in Rome since you will have tot return there for your departing flight.

Venice
Citta di Castello
Amalfi Coast
Rome

This oprobably sounds counter-intuitive, but I'd do Venice-Citta di Castello-Amalfi Coast-Rome.

It has the least back-tracking, and it makes departure from Rome easiest. There is almost no way of getting from the Amalfi Coast to FCO in time for a transatlantic flight. If you have to spend overnight in Rome, you might as well stay at the same place all your four days in Rome.

Caveat: Citta di Castello to the Amalfi Coast will probably be a longish travel day.

Check train schedules here:
http://www.ferroviedellostato.it/fer...il/inglese.jsp
(Naples or Salerno for the Amalfi Coast; from either city, by bus or boat to the Amalfi Coast itself)

With three weeks, I personally would spend 6 days in Rome and 5 days each in Venice, at the agriturismo and on the Amalfi Coast.

I agree---end in Rome.
Sounds like a great trip to me. I would consider a weekly rental for both Tuscany and the AC with 2 couples, even though you may only stay 6 nites it will still save $$$ and give you some flexibility. Use the www.summerinitaly.com site for rentals on the AC.

Everyone seems to be in agreement on this one.
Ellenem-why didn't I think of that?
Zerlina-I didn't consider travel time back to Rome to catch the flight. How long do you think it will take to get from Citta di Castello down to Amalfi? This is all doable by train, right? And where would you recommend as home base there?
Bobthenav-Makes sense to book weekly rentals. Thank you for the link, I shall check it out.